03 February - 04 February
Hilton Dubai Jumeirah, UAE
Now in its 11th year, the Middle East Bunkering Convention returns to Dubai where it will debate the many and complex issues impacting the marine fuels industry, from both a regional and a global perspective.
Programme details are updated regularly and are subject to change as new speakers are confirmed and themes developed.
If you feel you could make a significant contribution to the programme, please email Lesley Bankes-Hughes at [email protected] or call +44 1295 814455 to discuss this further.
Early Bird Delegate Pass: £550 (ends 14 November)
Standard Delegate Pass: £850
Exhibition Opens
This first session will identify and investigate the current commercial pressures for shipping and bunkering. For the marine fuels sector, profit margins are thin, geopolitical volatility is a huge risk factor for the industry, and the global financial impact of regional environmental regulation is beginning to bite – with the potential for credit ‘warning bells’ in relation to counterparty relationships. How are suppliers and traders responding to these ‘red flags’ for their businesses.
Moving on from the discussion about commercial realities in early 2026, this session will spell out the risks of non-compliance with regional regulation and sanctions, and consider what the ‘on/off’ imposition of national trade tariffs means for shipping and bunkering. Speakers in this session will also consider how bunker companies are addressing their own risk management strategies – both in terms of price and broader business risk.
In 2025, the global bunker market has faced a tough year in terms of how external events and factors have impacted its business. In this session, the focus shifts to the Middle East bunker market and how it is responding to changes, challenges and opportunities from the vantage point of early 2026. Speakers will discuss bunker pricing trends, the refining landscape, fuel quality and availability, shifting trade flows, and the influx of new players in the Middle East bunker market.
Marine fuel and shipping companies now have many tools at their disposal to make their businesses more efficient, agile and future-proofed. This session looks at innovations in bunker planning, fuel procurement, and how companies are ensuring that their workforces are trained for an evolving regulatory and multi-fuel future.
This session will consider fuel quality trends, including biofuels and issues relating to feedstock and provenance. Initiatives to bring transparency into the bunker delivery process, such as the use of mass flow meters, will also be highlighted, as well as the use of digitalisation to deliver efficiencies in bunker deliveries. Speakers will consider how digitalisation and AI might evolve to offer additional ‘value’ to the bunker supply chain.
Hilton Dubai Jumeirah, Garden Area
